Harvesting Methods

In managing southern pines for timber, we are usually working with even-aged stands. In this type of silvicultural system, harvesting is the method of removing products from a forest to make room for a new generation of trees.

Shelterwood Method

The shelterwood method involves the removal of most of the mature stand at the end of the rotation, but a portion of the mature stand is left standing. The shelterwood method serves three basic purposes:

To prepare the stand for production of abundant seed

To modify the environment in a way that promotes germination and survival of the selected species

To build up the amount and size of advance regeneration to ensure the prompt restocking of the new stand following overstory removal.

The shelterwood method involves a sequence of 3 cuttings:

Preparatory Cuttings: make the seed trees more vigorous and set the stage for regeneration. See our Thinning page for more information.

Establishment/Seed Cuttings: open up enough vacant growing space to allow establishment of the new regeneration.

Removal Cuttings: uncover the new crop to allow it to fill the growing space.

The residual trees in the shelterwood must:

be sturdy and windfirm

be able to survive exposure

flower and reproduce seed

be the best trees of the mature stand

Keep in mind that the shelter trees must not occupy the entire site. A void must be created in order to make room for the new regeneration. The amount of shelter to leave will depend on the following factors:

species characteristics (seeding and shelter requirements)

the number of cuttings in the cutting sequence (1, 2, or 3)

landowner objectives

the size of the area to be regenerated

the final removal harvest level required to be profitable

The shelter must be removed before it impedes the growth of the new stand or threatens its survival.

Seed Tree Method

The seed tree method is similar to the shelterwood method in that we are removing most of the mature overstory and leaving a portion standing. However, the seed tree method leaves only a few residuals as a seed source only. The residuals from this cut are too few and scattered to provide shelter.

A seed tree cut will introduce environmental changes similar to those of clearcutting. This type of cut will provide some opportunity to influence seed source through the selection of the seed trees.

Environmental Considerations

You may harvest a part of or all of your forest land only once or twice in your lifetime, but the visual disturbance caused by harvesting may make some people uncomfortable. Some may believe that a disturbance of this magnitude (i.e., a clearcut) may lead to environmental degradation. Often, this belief is more a perception of sight and emotions rather than true environmental degradation.

Forest landowners have the opportunity to reduce the visual disruption caused by forest harvesting and to maintain the environmental integrity and aesthetic appeal of their lands